Controlling mechanism for locomotive whistles



' March 19, 1929.

H. VISSERING V CONTROLLING MECHANISM FOR LOCOMOTIVE WHISTLBS Filed Oct. ,1925 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 March 19, 1929. v|$$ER|NG 7 1,705,627

CONTROLLING MECHANISM FOR LOCOMOTIVE WHISTLES Filed OGt. 1925 SheetsSheet 2 Patented Mar. 19, 1929.

urr s iarss HARRY vrssnnrne, or KENTLWOBTH, iLLInoIs,

CONTROLLING MnonAnIsM FOB LOCOMOTIVE WHJSTLES. i

' The invention relates to controlling mech anism for locomotive whistles.

"In modern railway ope-ration, 1t is necessary for the engineer to operate the'signal whistle when approaching roadcrossings, and one object of the invention is to provide readily and conveniently operable controlling means for the whistle. Another object of the invention is to provide improved controlling mechanism which includes a pneumatically operated device, aswell as a handoperable device for controlling the whistle. Other objects of the invention will appear from the specification. The invention consists in the several novel features hereinafter set forth and more particularly defined by claims at the conclusion hereof. q l i In the drawings: Fig. 1 is a diagrammatic View of a locomotive equipped with the invention. Fig. 2 is a section of the device-for controlling the supply ofair to the pneumatic whistle-controlling piston foroperab,

ingthe valve for the steam whistle. Fig.3 is a section taken on line 33 of Fig. 2. Fig. 4 is a detail perspectiveof the air inlet valve in the device shown in Figs. 2 and 3. Fig. 4 is a side. elevation of the handle and stem for shifting'the air, inlet valve. Fig. 5 is a section, illustrating the improved whistle-operating device. Fig. 6 is a section taken on line 6 6 of Fig. 5. .Fig. 7 is a section taken on line 7-7 of Fig. 6; Fig.

8 is a detail perspective of one of the mem bers of the ointedlever for shiftingthe stea valve for the'whistle.

The invention is exemplified in connection 1 with a whistle 12 which may be of usual or suitable construction, and is adapted to be as well understood in the art.

valve which controls the delivery of steam to the whistle and a piston adapted to be operatedby fluid under pressure for operating the valve. 7 I This cas ng comprises a nipple 15, whlchis adapted to be screw-threaded into thectop. ofthe boiler, so as to receive steam through its lower end. A valve 16 is normally seated on a seat 1'? in the lower end of the nipple 15, and isintegral with a stem 18, which is VGIiZi':

cally slidable in acylindrical guide 19 in said stem. The casing also comprises a body 20, integrallyformed with and abo e the nipple Application filedOctober 8, 1925. Serial No. 61,368.

15. An annular chamber 21 is formed said body. The stem 18' is formed with vertical ducts 22 for conducting the steam, admitted by valve 16, from the lower end of the nipple 15 to the chamber-21, the lower'portion of. which extends inwardly so that it will be in constant communication with the upper end i I of the stem 18. A suitable discharge open- 1ng23 for the steam is formed in the casing to discharge the steam into the whistle, so that it will produce a noise, as well understoodin the art. A screw 24 is threaded into the nipple 15, and has a stud 25 at its inner end which extendsinto a cross-slot, 26 formed in the stem 18 to holdthe stem against rotation.

The invention contemplates theprovision of a device operable by fluid under pressure,

usually air, for opening the,'steam-.valve 1 -6,.

'75 For this purpose, an annular wall.

and the inclusion of this device in the valvecasing.

28 is integrally formedwith the casing,

being united to the, bottom ofthe body 20 of the casing by lugs 29,. and acylinder. '30 is formed in said wall. A piston 31 is fitted and 'vertically slidable in saideylinde A stud 32, riveted to [piston 31, en tends through the bottom wall 33 of, the

cylinder, and is adapted to engage the up-' per end of the valve-stem 18, toopen thevalve 16 to .admit steam into chamber 21 The 1 upper end of the cylinder 30 is, closed bywa head 34, which is screw-threadedtothe upper. end of thewall 28, and is provided witha flange 35 toform a top'ior the chamber 21.,

The lowerend of head3t is provided with, an

abutment 36, to limit; the upward movement of the piston 31. Lugs37 are formed on the top of head 34, so that it may be conveniently turned in the placement ot the head in, and

upper end of cylinder 30 by a duct 39, which is formed in the casing, and to which is connecteda pipe 38.. When air under pressure isadmitted to the cylinder 30, the piston 31 will'besoperateddownwardly to cause the stud 32 to .forcethe valve 16 open against the pressure of the steam which acts to hold the] valve normally closed. When the. valveis open, steam will pass around the valve through ducts 22 and chamber 21 to the dis charge o pening23 and into the whistle. To permit the pipe:38 to be connected. to either side of the. casing for convenience in making the airsupply connection, two oppositely disposed ports 39 are formed in the casing, and the port not used is closedvby plug 39. Ducts 40 are formed in the casing, and lead from the lower end of the cylinder 30 to the outside of the casing, so that the pistonwill be free to be operated downwardly by the air under pressure, and so that the piston will not become air-bound,

The construction described exemplifies one in which the pneumatically operated piston is mounted in the valve-casing and within the annular chamber through which steam passes to the whistle. 'As a result of this construction, all danger of the airoperated piston be coming frozen in cold Weather is avoided, be-

7 cause the steam passing around the cylinder of thepiston will prevent this; also one in which the piston is located for direct action on the steam-valve, so that the structure will be compact'and simple.

In practice, it is desirable to provide for the manual operation of steam valve 16, as

well asthe fluid pressure operated device, for use 1n event the latter should become 1noperative. This manually operable device comprises a lever 42, which is pivotally connected y a pin 43 to ears 44, integrally formed with the valve-casing, and is provided with a round terminal 45 which extends into the cross-slot 19 in the valve-stem 18, so that when the lever is rocked to move said terminal downwardly,

I the valve stem 18will be shifted downwardly to open the valve and admit steam to the chamber 21 for the operation of the whistle. Lever 42 comprisesan arm'46, which is riveted at 47 to a member 48, which is pivoted, at

49, to the free end of lever 42. Member 48 is U-shaped in cross-section, and its cross or connecting wall 50 is adapted to abut against one edge of the lever 42, so that when arm 46 is moved forwardly, it will, in effect, be rigid with thelever 42, and shift the latter to operate the valve 16. f The side of member 48, opposite the wall 50, is open,,so that when lever 42 is shifted by the piston 31, the pivotal connection 49 between member 48 and lever 42 will I permit the lever to swing relatively to arm 46. This constitutes, in effect, a one-way connection between the arm 46 and the lever 42,

which permits the lever 42 to move with the valve 16 when the latter is operated by the piston 31, without shifting the connections between arm 46 and the cab. The operating connection between arm 46 and the cab con-.

sists of a rod 51, which has its-front end pivoted at 52 to arm 46, and its rear end pivoted to'a lever 53, which is, fulcrum-ed at. 54, a bellcrank lever 55, which is fulcrumed at 56, and provided with an operating handle 57, and a link 58 between levers 55 and 53. When it is desired tomanually operate the valve 16, the

engineer will depress the handle 57 to rock lever 55, which willretract'link 58'to swing lever 53 and push'rod' 51 forwardly to operate arm 46. When said arm is pushed forwardly, the wall 50 of member 42 will render the arm rigid with lever 42, and swing said lever so that its terminal 45 will force open the valve'16. I

In the operation of locomotives at the present time, it has become necessary for the engineer to frequently operate the whistle in approaching road-crossings and stations. The construction set forth exemplifies one in which the steam valve for the whistle is operable by a fluid-operated piston, andin which the lever for the manual operation of the valve is so constructed that the operating lever and connections in the cab will not be dismounted on a bracket 61 inside of the-loco- .S

motive cab. A pipe 62, which is connected to receive air from the main air reservoir on the locomotiveis connected'by a coupling 63 to a r nipple 64 on the lower endlof'the casing to deliver air to the casing. slidable in a chamber 66 in said casing, and is adapted to closeagainst a seat 67. Said valve ,is formed with guide-ribs 68, and is held normally closed by a coil spring 69,

which is confined in the coupling 63 and bears against the under side of said valve. The body of the casing 60 is formed with a chamber 70, to which is connected the pipe 38v which delivers air under pressure tothe case ing for piston 31 and the steam-valve. -A shaft or stem 71 extends through and is journalled in one side of the casing, and has a projecting stud 72 to which is secured an operating handle 73, which is preferably split and clamped around the stud by a screw 74; The inner end of stem 72 extends into a bearing 75 in a cap 76, which is threaded into the opposite side of the casing. To prevent leakage of air from the chamber and around the stem, the latter is formed with an annular shoulder 77, which bears against packing ring 78 held in the casing, and a co1lespring79 is applied between the stem and the cap 76 to force the shoulder against the;

packing. Stem 71 is'provided with a lug 80,

A valve 65'is a which is formed with a socket 81, and is adapted to operate a loose plunger 82 to open the valve 65. The lower end of stem 82 is confined ina socket 83 in the upper end of valve 65, and a coil spring 84 is applied be tween lug 80 and the bottom wall of the casing 60 to retract stem 71 and hand-lever 73. In order to release the piston 31 and.

permit the steam-valve 16 to close when the supply'of compressed air is cut off at valve i the engineers cab, and which conjointly con-' trols the admission of compressed air to the 65, the stem 71 is provided with a lug 85 for operating an exhaust valve 86. Said exhaust valve is slidably mounted in a lug 87 in the casing and in a guideway 88 in one of the is applied between a plug 92, which is screwthreaded into the casing and the valve 86, to close-said valve when the handle 73 is operated to open the admission valve 65. Lug 85 extends into a notch 93 formed in the lower side of the valve 86, and the end of the notch engaged by lug 85 is disposed so that valve 86 will be incidontly closed during the initial movement of the lever '73 to open valve 65. The notch is elongated to permit the lug 85 to move independently of the valve 86 after the latter has been closed. In the operation, the engineer, when the steam-valve '16 is to be pneumatically operated, will depress the free end of handle 73. During the initial movement, exhaust valve 86 will be closed by spring 91, and lug 85 will recede from the inner end of notch 93. After valve 86 has been closed, lug 80 will depress the plunger 82 and open valve 65, so that compressed air from pipe 62 will flow through chamber 70 and pipe 38 into cylinder 30 to operate the piston 31. The latter will force open the steam valve 16 to operate the whistle. l/Vhen the handle 73 is released, lug 80 will move upwardly to release plunger 82 and permit the admission valve to close before lug 85 engages the inner end of notch 93 in the ex hau'st valve 86. After the admission valve 65 has been fully closed, lug 85 will open valve 86, so that the air under pressure from cylinder 30 will be exhausted through pipe 28, chamber and the pipe 90. This air-control valve exemplifiesone which is simple in construction, which will occupy little space in piston 31 and the exhaust of air at the end of each operation of the whistle.

The invention is not to be understood as restricted to the details set forth, since these may be modified within the scope of the appended claims, withoutdeparting from the spirit and scope of the invention. I

Having thus described the invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is:

1. In a signalling mechanism for a 1000-. motive, the combination of a steam whistle, a casing adapted to be positioned outwardly of the locomotive cab and provided with means for connection to a steam supply, said casing being associated with the whistle and adapted to supply steam thereto, a valve in the casing for controlling the supply of steam to operate the whistle, afiuid-pressure operable piston also mounted in the casing and adapted to open the steam-valve, a lever for opening the steam-valve disposed [adj acent the casing, said steam-valve beingmounted so that'it will not displace the piston when shifted by said lever, a valve mounted'in' the cab and connected to control the delivery of fluid under pressure to the piston, and a connection betweenthe lever and said cab whereby the steam-valve may be manually shifted from the cab. a a

2. In a signalling mechanism for a locomO- tive, the combination of a steam whistle, a casing adapted to be positioned outwardly of the locomotive cab and; provided with means at its lower end for connection to a steam supply, said casing being adapted to supply steam to the whistle, a valve for controlling the supply of steam to operate the whistle mounted in the casing, a fiuid pressure operable piston also mountedin the cas ing and adapted to openthe steam-valve, the casing being provided with a chamber around the piston from which steam passes from the valve to the whistle, a lever pivoted to the casing and connected directly to the steamvalve to shift the latter, a valve mounted in the cab and connected directly to the steamvalve to shift the latter, a'valve mounted in the cab and connected to control the delivery of fluid under pressure to the piston, and a connection between the lever and said locomotive cab whereby the lever may be manually shifted to open the steam-valve so as to operate the whistle.

3. The combination with a whistle for a locomotive, of a valve for controlling the supply of steam for operating the whistle, fluidoperated means for opening the valve, a lever for shifting the valve comprising relatively movable members, one of which is movable with the valve, and a manually operable connection between the other member and the locomotive cab, the connection between the members permitting the lever member connected to the valve to be operated by said fluid-operated means without displacing the connection to the cab.

t. The combination with a whistle for a locomotive, of a valve for controlling the supply of steam to the chamber for operating the whistle, a fluid-operated means for opening the valve, alever for shifting the valve comprising pivotally connected members, one of which is pivoted to the valve, and a manually operable connect-ion between the other member and the locomotive cab, the pivotal connection between the members permitting the lever member connected to'the valve to be operated by said fluid-operated means without displacing the connection to the cab.

5. The combination with a whistle for a locomotive, of a casing provided with a cham-' ber, a valve for controlling the supply-of steam to the chamber for operating the whistle, a fluid-operable piston in the easin g and adapted to open the valve, a lever for shifting the valve Comprising pivotally connected members, one of Which is movable With the valve, a manually operable connection between theother member and the loco! motive cab, anda one-way operating Connection between the members permitting the lever member connected tothe valve to be operated by the piston Without displacing the connection to the cab.

f6. Theooinbination With asteam Whistle, a casing, a valve for controlling the delivery of steam to the casing for the operation of the Whistle, and a fluid-pressure operated piston for operating the valve, of a device for controllin the operation of the )iston from the cab comprising a casing having a chamber therein connected to a source of supply of compressed air, an admission valve vertieally slidable in said latter casing, an exhaust valve horizontally slidable in said latter horizontally a casing, a valve vfor controlling the delivery of steam to the casing for the operatlon of the Whistle, and a fluid-pressure operated piston for operating the valve, 01 a devlce for controlling the operation of the piston from the,

cab comprising a casing havinga chamber therein connected to a source oi supply of compressed. air, an admission valve vertically slidable in said latter casing, an exhaust valve shat't journalled in the latter casing provided With lugs for successively operating the s dable in said latter casing, a

admission and exhaust valves, and .a handle fixed on said shaft. 7

Signed at Chicago, Illinois, this 6th day of October, 1925.

HARRY ,VISUERING- 

